Orion International
| Orion International | |
|---|---|
| company logo | 
|
| company type | Private |
| owner | Daimler AG |
| foundation | 1975 |
| location | 350 Hazelhurst Road, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada L5J 4T8 |
| key people | Dr. Andreas Strecker, President and CEO Patrick Scully, Chief Commercial Officer |
| area served | Canada, United States |
| employees | 1,400 (US and Canada) |
| industry | Bus building |
| products | Transit Buses |
| parent | Daimler AG |
| homepage | www.orionbus.com |
Orion International was a Mississauga, Ontario, Canada-based bus manufacturer established by the Government of Ontario in 1975. Before its closing, Orion was a Daimler company and brand of Daimler Buses North America.
Contents |
History
The Government of Ontario established Ontario Bus and Truck in 1975 to produce buses for the province's transit agencies in the late 1970s. The company became known as Ontario Bus Industries in 1977.
Bus Industries of America was established by Donald Sheardown in 1981 to manufacture buses for the United States market. A plant in Oriskany, New York was built in 1982. Both Ontario Bus Industries and Bus Industries of America were purchased by Western Star Trucks, and Orion Bus Industries was formed in 1995.[1]
Orion became the first North American bus manufacturer to use compressed natural gas as an alternative fuel in 1988 with their 40-foot Orion I bus. Orion began offering diesel-electric hybrid technology on their Orion VI model in 1995.[1]
Orion was acquired by DaimlerChrysler through their subsidiary Freightliner in July 2000. DaimerChrysler reorganized its bus business in North America into a new division known as DaimlerChrysler Commercial Buses North America. After Chrysler was sold in 2007, the division's name was changed to Daimler Buses North America.
In early 2009, the Orion Bus Industries was renamed Orion International.
On April 25, 2012, Daimler announced they were restructuring their operations in North America. As a result, production of Orion transit buses would end after the remaining orders were completed.[2] Daimler cited a slowdown in the transit market for ending operations at Orion and did not forecast an improvement in the immediate future. The Mississauga facility will be closed in 2013, while the Oriskany facility will remain open as a parts and service centre.[3][4]
Facilities
- Mississauga, ON (350 Hazelhurst Rd., Mississauga, ON) - Headquarters & chassis/body assembly
- Oriskany, NY (165 Base Rd., Oriskany, NY) - seating, engines, transmissions, axles, electrical, HVAC, other final finish components and testing.
Products
- Orion I (1976-1993)
- Orion II (1983-2003)
- Orion III (1985-1989)
- Orion IV (1985-1989)
- Orion V (1989-2009)
- Orion VI (1995-2004)
- Orion VII (2001-2007)
- Orion VII Next Generation (2007-Q3 2010)
- Orion VII EPA10 (Q4 2010-2012)
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Orion corporate history. Retrieved 07 August 2009.
- ↑ Daimler Buses Reconfigures Operations in North America (Press release). Canadian Newswire. 25 April 2012. Retrieved on 25 April 2012.
- ↑ 25 April 2012. Daimler closing Ontario bus factory that supplies TTC. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved on 27 April 2012.
- ↑ Swain, Glenn (25 April 2012). Daimler ends Orion production. BUSRide Magazine. Retrieved on 27 April 2012
External links
| Orion International | ||||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Orion I | Orion II | Orion III | Orion IV | Orion V | Orion VI | Orion VII | Orion VII NG | Orion VII EPA10 |
| Buses | |||||||||
| |||||||||
